The Washington critic., 1887-02-22
NGIII ME tIRr
A Shocking Want of Ventilation In
tho Dead. Latter Ofice.


EDToR Carrie: In your paper OF last
Monday evening, there appeared com
muncatlon signed "lIomo,n relative to the
lack of ventilation In many sections OF the
Del artments, and making special ex-
ample OF the Dead-Lettc office. The ar
tlcle attracted my attention particularly
because, having been through the office
with party Of visitors the week previous,
| noticed the very impure and oppressive
atmosphere, especially upstairs In the gal
lery, where one OF the ladies OF the party
became so faint with only few minutes
stay that she had to hurry out.
Meeting yesterday q couple OF the ladies'
employed In the gallery, with whom AIN
acquainted, | entered into conversation
with them on the subject. on inquiry as
to the existing means OF ventilation, they
informed me that last winter there was
placed In every other window ventllating
arrangement consisting Of very small round
holes bored In the middle cross-bar, covered
by sliding strip OF metal with correspond
irg holes. These holes would present an
aggregate surface about sufficient to venti-
late q small loom occupied by one person,
but In such an Office as the one under dis
cussion, the ingress of fresh air cannot be
apprcciable.
The Dead. Letter Office is a very large
apartment, with gallery running round all
four sides. In this Office between seventy
and eighty persons are employed. Into this
Office all the mail OF every description, let
tiers and packages, that have gone astray all
over the United States is brought In great
bags and dumped out All day long impu-
rifles are breathed out on the air from the
lungs OF the large number OF employees, aud
dust and odors Of all sorts arise from the
foiled, and often filthy mail that has been
travelling round in search Of an owner. |
went through there IN the middle OF the af
ternoUn, aud noticed that even on the
lower floor the air b" become almost fetid;
and that up in tb' .,allery, to where the heat
and foul gaseS .tise II was almost insup-
portable. My two informants tell me that
frequently In the afternoon they cannot
turn round suddenly without u swimming
Of the head accompanied by faint gtidy
feeling, and they say they have heard others
complain OF the same peculiar sensation.
My visit TO the Office was paid on an ex-
ceedingly mild, sunny day, with scarcely
any wind Blowing, yet | noticed that the
windows were sll closed, aud wondered that
the clerks did not seek relief by lowering
them. TN Inquiry ELECTED the fact that
there is an arbitrary rule 10 vogue that the
windows must remain closed from the lst
of October to the LIST OF May, irrespective
OF the weather or existing circumstances.
The window question is undoubtedly the
hardest one to settle In the departments,
and the arbitrary-rHle business may he the
easiest way out Of Il: but In this climate,
where there are SO many periods of almost
summer heat In the fall and spring. anl
even occasionally In winter, such a rule
must be great hardship, especially In the
absence Of any effective ventilation.
The rule is said to he made for the pro-
lection of weak, sickly persons who might
be exposed to draughts II the windows were
open, but my informants tell me that the
delicate clerks are the ones who seem most
anxious for fresh air, and that the small
minority Of two or three who were instru-
mental in bringing about the order are
strong, able bodied women, who never lose
day from sickness. They are probably
people who are monomanacs on the sub.
ject, and II does not seem right that rational
people should be subject TO their whims.
was also informed that these people abuse
the privilege accorded them by keeping not
only the windows in their vicinity shut,
but also keeping watch on all the win.
dows In the Office for the same purpose, and
that, on such days as last Saturday, when
ladies were out without wraps aud carrying
parasols. 1t is certainly an injustice to al
low one clerk to let In cold blast OF air
directly on another, whose life might be lost
In consequence; but the state Of affairs de-
scribed is going to the other extreme, and a
large number OF clerks are losing their lives
by slow poison. There should be some dis
elimination used, and some consideration
shown for both sides. When / asked these
ladies why they endured such state Of
affairs without complaint, they Informed
me that, much as they needed fresh air,
they didn't want 10 be invited to breathe 1t
outside the building, as they needed food
also.
AS gathered from the conversation Of
these ladies that their superintendent is a
very fair minded and kiud-hearted man,
judged that lie would not allow such a
state of affairs to exist II brought to his
knowledge, so | write this, hoping that it
may meet his eye. OXYGEN.
WASHINGTON. Feb. 81.